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The Cacau Club, Lisbon (2026)

31/05/2026

🇵🇹 Uma das minhas descobertas favoritas no ShowColat foi a Coromandel Chocolates, da Nova Zelândia. Por detrás da marca está um casal franco-neozelandês, que combina técnicas tradicionais de chocolataria francesa com o espírito e a paisagem da Aotearoa. A partir do seu negócio familiar em Whangamatā, produzem chocolate bean-to-bar utilizando cacau excecional proveniente exclusivamente do Pacífico. Enquanto chocolate makers, são apaixonados por apoiar os agricultores e de dar maior visibilidade ao cacau de origem do Pacífico. A sua filosofia é simples e poderosa: porquê importar cacau do outro lado do mundo quando existe cacau extraordinário a ser cultivado mais perto de casa? Como quem anda sempre à procura de novos chocolates e origens, descobrir a Coromandel foi algo especial. As origens de cacau com que trabalham são ainda desconhecidas para a maioria e representam, a meu ver, alguns dos desenvolvimentos mais interessantes no cacau de especialidade e chocolate bean to bar.

🇬🇧 One of my favourite discoveries at ShowColat was Coromandel Chocolates from New Zealand. Behind the brand is a wonderful Franco–Kiwi couple, combining traditional French chocolate-making techniques with the spirit and landscape of Aotearoa. From their family-owned business in Whangamatā, they craft bean-to-bar chocolate using exceptional cacau sourced exclusively from the Pacific. As chocolate makers, they are passionate about supporting Pacific cacau farmers and raising the profile of Pacific single-origin cacau. Their philosophy is simple and powerful: why import cacau from the other side of the world when extraordinary cacau is being grown closer to home? As someone that is always on the lookout for new chocolates and origins, discovering Coromandel was something special. The cacau origins they work with are still unknown to most and represent, in my view, some of the most exciting developments in specialty cacau and bean to bar chocolate.

28/05/2026

🇵🇹 Alguns chocolates são comprados para partilhar. Outros são escondidos cuidadosamente e saboreados devagar, em completo silêncio… e sozinhos!!!!
Ao longo dos anos, clientes têm-me contado histórias extraordinárias sobre os lugares onde escondem o chocolate.
Uma gaveta que ninguém abre. A prateleira mais alta. Dentro do armário dos vinhos.
E depois chega a desilusão: alguém o encontrou. Compreendo perfeitamente esse desgosto.
Aparentemente, um chocolate excecional cria dinâmicas familiares muito sérias.
Agora diga-me honestamente: onde esconde o seu?

🇬🇧 Some chocolates are bought to be shared. Others are hidden carefully and enjoyed slowly, in complete silence, and alone!!!!
Over the years, clients have told me extraordinary stories about where they hide their chocolate.
A drawer nobody opens. The top shelf. Inside the wine cabinet.
And then comes the disappointment:
someone found it. I understand the heartbreak.
Apparently, exceptional chocolate creates very serious household dynamics.
Tell me honestly where do you hide yours?

22/05/2026

🇬🇧 Just finished an incredible Cocoa Masterclass today and it really felt like an origin experience without being at origin.
The whole course works like a deep dive into the cacau world from multiple angles: not just flavour and craft, but the full system behind it. We went into supply chain structures, logistics, certification systems and how these frameworks shape the industry at large, not only the specialty side.
One of the most eye-opening parts was seeing how the industrial cacau and chocolate market operates in comparison to the bean-to-bar world. It gives such a clear perspective on scale: bean-to-bar is still a very very small segment, but its influence is disproportionately important, pushing quality standards, transparency, and new ways of thinking about cacau and chocolate. We also explored cacau futures and how pricing mechanisms and markets impact producers and downstream decisions. Alongside that, there was a fantastic cacau history session and a deep dive into quality control systems, all of it building a much more complete understanding of what “quality cacau” actually means beyond tasting notes.
The teaching team was outstanding, and it was a privilege to learn from people like Myka and Spencer Hyman, as well as the Latitude Trade case study presented by Jeff Steinberg, which really tied together how origin, sourcing, and storytelling connect in practice.What stayed with me most is how this class bridges worlds: origin, trade, industry, and craft all in one space. You don’t have to travel to origin to start understanding it deeply; but when you do, you arrive with much better questions.
A true learning experience and a reminder of how cacau sits in a complex global system, where even small players like bean-to-bar makers can have a meaningful impact on the larger industry, pushing toward more transparency, care, and ultimately more special cacau and chocolate. Thank you for these amazing 3 learning days 🙏

21/05/2026

🇵🇹 Acredito que já escrevi sobre os principais países produtores de cacau fino e de aroma (ou de especialidade), mas ao longo do anos anos tem aparecidos novos Paises. Para além dos países mais conhecidos como Equador, Madagáscar ou Peru, lugares como Angola, a República Democrática do Congo ou a Guiana começam a emergir, ainda com pequena escala, mas cheios de potencial.
Angola é quase uma tela em branco. Com raízes históricas no cacau, mas uma produção atual muito limitada, oferece genética ainda por explorar, condições ideais de cultivo. O Congo, por outro lado, já está em evolução. Há uma clara transição do cacau de volume para grãos bem fermentados e rastreáveis, apoiada por projetos no terreno que ligam qualidade a um impacto social real. O que torna estas origens tão interessantes é precisamente a sua dimensão, ainda indefinidas, em desenvolvimento e cheias de descoberta.
O futuro do cacau de especialidade não virá apenas de onde já olhamos, mas de origens como estas, que estão apenas a começar a ser compreendidas.

🇬🇧 I believe I’ve convered the major fine and flavour or specialty cacau country producings, but there is a quiet shift happening in specialty cacau. Beyond the well-known countries like Ecuador, Madagascar, Peru… places like Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo or Guyana, are beginning to emerge, still small in scale but full of potential. Angola is almost a blank canvas. With historical roots in cacau but very limited current production, it offers untapped genetics & ideal growing conditions. Congo, on the other hand, is already evolving. There’s a clear movement from bulk cacau to well-fermented, traceable beans, supported by strong on-the-ground projects that link quality with real social impact. What makes those origins exciting is precisely their size, still undefined, still developing, and still full of discovery. The future of specialty cacau won’t just come from where we already look, but from origins like these that are only just beginning to be understood.

15/05/2026

🇵🇹 As edições limitadas no chocolate bean-to-bar são, normalmente, pequenos lotes feitos a partir de uma única colheita, de um lote específico de fermentação ou de uma origem particular que só está disponível uma vez ou em quantidades muito reduzidas. Podem também resultar de abordagens experimentais por parte do maker ou de colaborações entre marcas… muitas vezes capturam algo irrepetível. Ao contrário das gamas regulares, não são pensadas para ser consistentes ano após ano, mas sim para refletir o que foi único naquele momento no tempo. Há algo especial em provar o Sundi, a edição limitada da Standout Chocolate, sabendo a história por detrás. Príncipe era conhecido sobretudo por cacau de volume, mas aqui estamos claramente perante outra realidade. Nota-se cuidado em cada etapa, da fermentação ate ao chocolate final, sem necessidade de impressionar em excesso.
É simples, mas no bom sentido, sabores limpos, bom equilíbrio e um verdadeiro sentido de lugar. É uma edição limitada que sabe e sente como uma mudança na forma como o cacau de Príncipe é visto hoje.

🇬🇧 Limited editions in bean-to-bar chocolate are usually small batches made from a single harvest, a specific fermentation lot, or a particular origin that is only available once or in very limited quantities. Or even an experimental approach from the maker. collaborations between brands… often they capture something unrepeatable Unlike core ranges, they’re not meant to be consistent year after year, but to reflect what was unique about that moment in time.
There’s something special about tasting Sundi, the limited edition from Standout Chocolate, knowing the history behind it. Príncipe used to be known for bulk cacau, but this is clearly something else. It shows care at every step, from fermentation to the final bar, without trying too hard to impress.
It’s simple, but in a good way with clean flavours, good balance, and a real sense of place. It’s a limited edition, that tastes and feels like a shift in how cacau from Príncipe is seen today.

10/05/2026

🇬🇧 Twenty years ago, on the volcanic soils of São Tomé and Príncipe, something shifted. Not just an origin story of cacaou, but my own.This is where the seed was planted in me. These islands carry a deep and complex history with cacau and once as the largest producer globally, later forgotten, and now quietly re-emerging through a very different lens: quality, identity, and respect for origin.
On Príncipe, something rare has been preserved. While much of the world moved toward hybridization and scale, the island held onto older cacau genetics and a sense of place that still feels intact. People like Cláudio Corallo helped shift the narrative, showing that cacau doesn’t have to be bitter, that with care and precision it can express clarity, depth, and elegance.
Today, new projects like HBD are continuing that transformation, connecting cacau with biodiversity, design, and culture. Not just producing chocolate, but reshaping what cacau can represent. For me, it always comes back to Príncipe. Because that’s where it started!

08/05/2026

🇬🇧 Still reflecting on the NAHÙ Cacao Afternoon in the before ShowColat in Bordeaux.
It was an honor to moderate a conversation that felt both necessary and honest. Bringing together perspectives from across the cacau value chain at a moment when our industry is clearly being reshaped.
A special thank you to Nahù Cacao, and in particular to Katrien Delaet, Greg D’Alesandre, and Cesar Magaña for the trust and confidence. Being invited to hold that space, and to guide such an open and grounded discussion meant a lot.
We spoke about what sourcing really means today. About the growing tension between compliance and reality at origin. About traceability, sustainability, and the uncomfortable gaps between what we say and what is actually possible on the ground.
What stayed with me most: Sourcing is no longer a procurement function, it’s a shared responsibility. Long-term alignment is not optional, it’s essential. And decisions must be guided by the reality at origin, not by frameworks built far away from it.
Once more Thank you Katrien, Greg, and César for your honesty and clarity, and to everyone who showed up with openness & willingness to engage. These are not easy conversations, but they are the ones that will shape the future of cacau.🤎cacao

06/05/2026

🇵🇹 Ainda a processar tudo o que vivemos no ShowColat… Muito mais do que chocolate: pessoas, paixão e propósito. 🤎�Agradecida por fazer parte disto.
Obrigada Florence, Hasnaa e Vincent por estes dias memoráveis. Até para o ano!

🇬🇧 Still processing what we lived at ShowColat… So much more than chocolate: people, passion, and purpose. 🤎
Grateful to be part of it.”
Thank you Florence, Hasnaa and Vincent for these memorable days. See you next year!

28/04/2026

🇵🇹Portugal Um dia a falar com a Katrien da , sobre que chocolates uma recomendaria, na sua lista estava a ChocoTales. E tenho que confessar que foi amor a primeira dentada! A chocoTales of Warsaw é um projeto artesanal polaco que combina a abordagem bean-to-bar com uma forte componente de inovação e experimentação. Produzindo chocolate em micro-lotes numa pequena fábrica em Varsóvia, a marca controla todo o processo permitindo explorar perfis sensoriais únicos e pouco convencionais.
Com uma filosofia próxima do universo “specialty”, mostra-nos que o chocolate pode ir muito além do chocolate habitual, destacando tanto a qualidade do cacau como combinações criativas de ingredientes.

🇬🇧 One day, while speaking with Katrien from about which chocolates she would recommend, chocoTales of Warsaw was on her list. And I have to admit, it was love at first bite!
chocoTales of Warsaw is a Polish artisanal project that combines a bean-to-bar approach with a strong focus on innovation and experimentation. Producing chocolate in micro-batches in a small factory in Warsaw, the brand controls the entire process, allowing it to explore unique and unconventional flavor profiles.
With a philosophy close to the “specialty” world, it shows that chocolate can go far beyond the usual, highlighting both the quality of the cacao and creative ingredient combinations.

The Cacau Club

31/05/2026

28/05/2026

22/05/2026

21/05/2026

15/05/2026

10/05/2026

08/05/2026

06/05/2026

28/04/2026

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